Jupiter
Jupiter's "brown barge" can be seen in a new image taken by the Juno spacecraft. Pictured: In this image provided by NASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team, the planet Jupiter is pictured July 23, 2009 in Space. Getty Images/ASA, ESA, and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

Jupiter's "brown barge" in the north polar region of the gas giant was captured in a new image from NASA's Juno spacecraft.

On its official Twitter page, the U.S. space agency shared a view of a "long, brown oval" within Jet N4, a "polar jet stream along the southern edge of Jupiter's north polar region."

According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's website, the Juno spacecraft took the image of Jupiter on Feb. 12 at 12:25 EST (9:25 a.m. PST) during its 18th close flyby of the largest planet in the solar system. The orbiter had been 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) above Jupiter's cloud tops when it captured the latest view of the north polar region.

This latest image was created by citizen scientists Gerald Eichstädt and Justin Cowart using data from the probe's JunoCam imager. To see the raw images taken by JunoCam, check out the official Juno mission website.

Last month, NASA shared several stunning photos of Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere. One image showed the "dramatic" view of the sky above Jupiter's northern hemisphere.

In the color-enhanced image taken on Feb. 12, swirling clouds surround a large circular feature within a jet stream region called "Jet N6." Like the view of the brown barge, this display was also captured during Juno's 18th flyby of Jupiter, though this one was from 8,000 miles (13,000 kilometers) above the gas giant's cloud tops.

The Juno spacecraft was launched on Aug. 5, 2011 and began orbiting Jupiter on July 4, 2016. The $1.1 billion Juno mission was intended to learn more about the gas giant's formation and evolution, as well as gather data about its "gravity and magnetic fields and atmospheric dynamics and composition." The probe is currently on a 53-day orbit around Jupiter rather than a 14-day one due to an issue with the valves on the Juno's fuel system.

Juno has less than 30 months left to orbit Jupiter and complete its primary science objectives as its mission ends on July 2021.

But before Juno ends its orbit around Jupiter, it will be joined by another spacecraft that NASA will be launching soon. The Europa Clipper is set to begin its journey in 2020 and will investigate Jupiter's moon Europa for possible conditions suitable for life.

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